Signal-light



J. F. RI DENO'UR.

(No Model.)

SIGNAL LIGHT.

,539. t Patented July 9, 1889..

I mam/Z0 r Jinn/1. 756626 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN F.RIDENOUR, OF HECTOR, OI-IIO.

SIGNAL-LIGHT. p

SPECJ ZFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,539, dated July9, 1889.

'7 Application filed March 18, 1889. Serial No. 303,713. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JOHN FL RIDENOUR, of Hector, in the county of Putnamand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSignal-Lights and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in signaLlights and devices foroperating the same; and the invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction and combinations of parts, more fully describedhereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring tothe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of aportion of arailroad-gate, showing the signal-light box with. the doorswung open and the lantern in position to be lowered. Fig. 2 is a viewwith the door of the signal-light box closed, looking in the box fromthe rear. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the interior of the box when the dooris open, with the top of the box removed;

The object of theinvention is to provide a means for obviating thedifficult and dangerous methods of placing lanterns on the tops ofrailroad-crossing gates, in sign-boxes, &c., at considerable distancesabove the ground. Heretofore, in order to place the lantern upon theupper end of the gate or at an altitude, a ladder or the like was restedagainst the gate, which the operator ascends; but as the gates arehinged and cannot be rigidly secured in position it is unsafe to ascenda ladder placed against the same. This object is accomplished by theconstruction shown in the accompanying drawings, which construction isequally efficient and useful with semaphore-lanterns or any lanterns tobe placed in an inclosure at a distance where it is difficult to climb.The lantern can be raised and lowered and moved horizontally in or outof a signal-light box.

3 In the drawings, the reference-letter a in dicates a signal-light boxor inclosure pro- "vided with any suitable number of glass panels, asshown, and with a horizontallyswinging hinged door 1), preferablyprovided with a glass panel. A horizontal plate, arm, or projection 0extends inwardly from the inner side of the door near the upper inneredge of the same, and is provided with a flange by which the plate issecured to the door." A pulley ,d depends from the outer corner orportion of the plate or arm, so that when the door is opened and theplate swings out with the same the pulley will be located abor e theopening between the inner face of the door and the edge of the box, andthereby allow the lantern e, carried by the cord f, passing over saidpulley, to pass out of the box and descend to the ground. The cordfextends from or near the ground up into the inclosure through an openingin the bottom of the same and up the interior of the box to and over apulley g, secured to the inside of the same near the top thereof, fromthence horizontally to and over the pulley d,

from whence its free end hangs and carries the lamp or lantern. It willthus be seen that when the door is open the plate or projection c andits supporting-pulley d are thrown out and the lamp is lowered to theground for filling, &c., andthelamp is raised by pulling-down ontheoppositeend of the cordand drawing the same over'pulleys d 9 ,until thelantern reaches a point above the :bottom of the box and engages thepulley d,

when the strain of the ropewill tend to shorten the horizontal portionof the cord and draw the pulleys d 9 together, and thereby swing thedoor closed, and the plate 0 will carry the lantern horizontally intothe box as the door closes. The cord f, if desired, is provided with aprotecting-tube f, as shown in Fig. 1. The dooris opened from the groundby means of a wire or rod h, extending upwardly from within easy reachof the ground into the box or inclosure a. A horizontal rod orconnection i at its inner end is loosely secured at z" to the outerinner corner of the plate 0 opposite the hinged edge of the door, andfrom thence extends (when the door is closed) diagonally beneath theplate toward the opposite edge of the door, and the outer end of thehorizontal connectionvl and the upper end of the rod h are connected bythe flexible connectionj operating over the periphery of and supportedby a vertical pulley is, located in the box opposite the free edge ofthe door and in a plane nearer the vertical plane of the door than thepoint of connec: tion 2" between said plate 0 and the inner end ofconnection t. Thus it will be readilyseen that when the rod h is drawndown the rod 1; will be "drawn longitudinally, and thereby swing openthe door as the distance from point t" to the pivotal point of the doorforms closed and it is desired to lower and remove the lantern theoperator has merelyto pull down on the rod or connection h and hook.

the loop on the end of the same over the projection 0. This operationwill open the door after the tension of the cord j on the pulley hasthrown out the lower end of the latch from. engagement with the loop onthe door and against the tension of the spring. The latch is held inthis open position until the door is closed and the rod h released fromthe pin 0, thereby relieving the lateral tension on the pulley 7c andallowing the latch to spring back to its normal locking position.

What I claim. is

1. A signal-light box adapted to be located a distance from the groundand provided with a hinged. door, in combination with a rod orconnection for opening said door from the ground, and a cord carryingthe signal, by

which the same can be raised or lowered, and connected with the door toclose the same from the ground and swing the signal in or out of thebox, substantially as described.

2. I11 combination, a signal-light box, a

hinged door for the same, a cord loosely connected with the door andextending from the l same to or near the ground and carrying the signal,and by which the signal can be raised or lowered, and when raised to thedoor the same is clos ed, carrying the signal into the box,substantially as described.

3. In combination, a signal-light box, a

* hinged door for the same, an inwardly-extending plate or arm carriedby the door, a cord connected with the plate or arm and adapted to carrythe signal or lantern and extend to or near the ground and close thedoor, and thereby swing the lantern into the box, substantially asdescribed.

4. A signal-light box provided with ahinged door, a latch for the door,a rod or connection secured to the door and extending down to or nearthe ground, and adapted to operate the latch to release the door andswing the same open, a cord connected with the door and adapted to carrythe lantern and raise and lower the same and close the door and swingthe lantern into the box, substantially as described. v

5. A signal-light box providedwith a hinged door, a cord to carry thelight and raise and lower the same, and a plate or projection carried bythe door, to which said cord is connected, and which is adapted to swingthe lantern in and out of the box, substantially as described. g

6. A signal-light box having a hinged door, an inwardly-extending plateor projection carried by the door, and provided witha pulley near itsouter portion, and a pulley in the box, located opposite said pulleycarried by the f door, in combination with a rope or cable, said cablepassing over said pulleys and depending from the same and adapted toextend to or near the ground, and a signal-light adapted to be inclosedin said box and carried'by the portion of the cable depending from saidplate, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. RIDENoUR.

Witnesses: V

O. E. ALLEN, J os. J. BROTHERTON.

